Once Upon A Midnight

by Stephanie Rowe

  He flashed her a grin. "Damn, woman. I forgot about your sense of humor. No one but you can find things to joke about when the situation is this ugly."

  She shrugged, knowing that her humor had been her instinctive attempt to shake the tension trying to consume her. "I'm just talented that way, I guess."

  "I guess." He held out his hand to help her out of the truck. "Let's do this, sweet lips."

  She raised her eyebrows at him, irritation flooding her. "Sweet lips? Really? That endearment is not nearly as innocent now that you just blew my mind with that kiss. Plus, it's kind of sexist." But she put her hand in his, and her heart fluttered when his fingers closed around hers. She'd held his hand a hundred times in her life, but this time, it felt different. His hand was so much bigger than hers, and she could feel the calluses on his palms from a rough life.

  Damn him. He was sending her emotions in so many different directions, she didn't know what to think.

  He winked at her, that same wink that she'd always loved. "Sorry. You bring out the worst in me."

  She laughed slightly, unable to keep her tension up in the face of his familiar wink. Despite the fact that he wasn't telling her everything, he was still Cash, and he'd saved her life. She took a deep breath, and relaxed slightly. "You know damn well that I am the only person in the world who brings out your good side." She stepped out of the truck, grimacing when her bare foot landed on a pebble, reminding her that she was wearing only her leggings and camisole. The pavement was cold and hard, and her foot was cold almost immediately. It had been unseasonably warm for December in Seattle, but not warm enough to walk around in a camisole and bare feet. "I can't go in like this. I'm not even dressed."

  "I noticed." There was an edge to his voice that made her cheeks heat up, and suddenly, her camisole felt so thin and useless against the cool night air. "I'm not leaving you behind alone in the car while I go in, though." He reached into his truck, and pulled out his jacket, the one she'd had on her lap. "Wear this. We'll get you socks or something in there. They must have something."

  She shrugged into his jacket, immediately enveloped in the scent of leather and man. It was warm and heavy, making her feel protected and safe. Cash wrapped his arm around her and tucked her up against his side, as they headed across the parking lot, moving quickly.

  The night seemed dark and threatening, but the moment she stepped inside the pharmacy, she was hit with an overload of color, glitter, and music. A giant Christmas tree was just inside the door, flashing brilliant colors and covered with gold garland and shiny ornaments. Christmas music blared from the ceiling, and holiday decorations were everywhere.

  She stopped, shocked by the sight of it. "I forgot it was Christmas tomorrow." She'd been in that hotel for almost three weeks, trapped behind closed doors in an attempt to keep her alive. It felt so surreal to be thrust into the middle of holiday cheer. There was a display of stuffed reindeer to her right, wearing Santa hats and sunglasses. They were so ridiculous, and so familiar. Her heart softened when she saw the stuffed reindeer, and suddenly, Christmas didn't seem so far away. "You remember our first Christmas?"

  Cash hadn't noticed the reindeer yet. He was looking at the signs hanging from the ceiling, no doubt scanning for the first aid section. "Yeah. You gave me the first Christmas present I'd ever had. A pair of socks. Kept those things for years. The damn things had pigs on them, and I still wore them."

  She grinned at the memory of his delighted expression when he'd opened the gift. His first pair of new socks, he'd told her, and put them right on. He'd had them on almost every time she'd seen him after that, until she'd bought him another pair the next Christmas. "Do you remember what you got me?"

  "Yeah. That stuffed reindeer. You told me reindeer didn't wear sunglasses. I felt like a fool, until you smiled at me, and I realized you actually liked it..." His voice faded as he saw the display in front of them. "Son of a bitch." He walked over to the display she'd seen and held one up. "It's the same one."

  "Is it? It looks like it." She walked up next to him, and peered at the one in his hand. "What does the tag say its name is? Rudie?"

  He flipped it over and read the tag. "Rudie," he said. "How about that? Rudie's still around." He held him up. "You still got the Rudie I gave you?"

  She shook her head. "He disintegrated a few years ago."

  He held it out. "Then you need a new one. Merry Christmas, Bryn."

  She took the reindeer, her fingers brushing against his. It was so silly, the stuffed reindeer, but for some reason, tears filled her eyes. "Thanks."

  "Hey." He brushed his finger over her cheek. "No tears, babe. Today is Christmas Eve, and you have your favorite guy back in your life."

  She lifted her chin. "Yes, and we could all be torn apart in an hour. Literally."

  "No different from when we were kids, right?" His eyes were dark with the memories of the life he'd had as a foster kid in so many rough situations. "You take what you can get. If you can find a good minute or two, then take it, and don't worry about what's coming, because you can't stop it anyway. Isn't that what we always said? What we always promised each other?"

  She took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, I know. It's just..." She looked at him. "It's different now, Cash. It feels like the good moments have gotten harder and harder to find."

  His smile faded. "I know." He slipped his fingers behind her neck. "But we have now." He tugged her closer, and before she could react, he kissed her.

  It wasn't the kiss designed to distract her, like before. It was a kiss of connection, a bond that was a part of her soul from long ago, a bond that had never left, and would always keep them connected. Being with Cash was like having her world suddenly turned right side up for the first time in a long, long time.

  She slid her hand behind his neck, pulling him closer as she kissed him back. His mouth was a sinful temptation that quickly morphed from a kiss of connection to a kiss that had her wanting so much more. Desire rushed through her, a sudden fierce need that made her pull back before it could consume her.

  His eyes were dark and hooded, focused on her face so intently she felt like he was seeing into her very soul. Time seemed to stand still, a frozen moment in the midst of flashing Christmas lights and blaring holiday music.

  "Bryn," he whispered her name softly, his fingers tangling in her hair. His voice was so deep and sensual that it sent chills down her spine.

  She swallowed. "We should go."

  "I know." But he didn't move. He just studied her, as if memorizing every line of her face. It was the same way he used to look at her so long ago, as if he was certain it was the last time he'd ever see her, and he didn't want to forget. And, then, one time, it had been the last time they'd ever seen each other...until now.

  The front door opened, and they both jumped. Cash shoved her behind him as he spun to face the door. A couple in their late teens came in, giggling and laughing, their cheeks flushed as they kissed. The boy was wearing a Santa hat, and the girl was wearing a short, red dress, as if they'd just come from a Christmas party. Harmless, teenage fun.

  Bryn relaxed, but Cash didn't. He kept his body between the teens and Bryn, putting his arm around her again. "Come on, sweetheart," he said, just loudly enough to be overheard. "I can't wait much longer to get you naked."

  Her cheeks flared as he swept several boxes of condoms off the shelf as they passed the teens, who were standing near that section, giggling and looking embarrassed. "Seriously, Cash?"

  "Yeah, seriously. Give them something to notice besides our faces. You've been in the news a lot. You're memorable." He guided her down another aisle to the first aid section, where he quickly loaded up, making his selections so efficiently that she knew he'd been through the drill many times before. The efficiency with which he selected the first aid supplies sobered her. What was his life like now? Despite the stuffed reindeer in her arms, and the desire that his kisses ignited in her, things were ugly and dangerous, and he was a part of that
world. He'd been sent to kill her so she didn't testify at Jace's trial. He'd kept her alive, but how far did his loyalty go? He belonged to that pack. He'd told Damien that he could have been Jace's number two, if he hadn't declined it. Did that mean...a sudden chill rippled through her. Was he a werewolf as well? She swallowed, her heart suddenly hammering in her chest. "Cash—"

  He stood up, his arms full of bandages, antiseptic, and condoms. Pink ones with extra ribbing for maximum sensation. Yellow and green stripes for the "extremely" well-endowed man. She couldn't help it. The condoms were so ridiculous that they made her laugh.

  How could she doubt him? He was her best friend, her only friend, the one person on the earth she'd trust with her life. She knew he would never hurt her.

  He wiggled his brows at her. "You think these are good options?"

  She laughed aloud then, laugher that felt so good in the midst of such tension. "Pink? Extra sensation?"

  "Hell yeah. I'm man enough for pink." He grinned at her as he nudged her toward the register. "The cashier will be more interested in the condoms and guessing what we're going to do tonight than he will be about the first aid stuff. He'll remember the condoms, not the rest of it." He raised his brows, and snagged a pair of pale pink terry-cloth slippers off a nearby rack. "Besides, I never got to fulfill my raunchy teen fantasies about you. I had to take off just when I finally broke through your iron veneer. Kinda hoping to finish the job."

  "You had lustful teenage boy fantasies about me?"

  "Hell, yeah, of course I did." His eyes darkened. "But my imagination is a lot more dangerous now, sweetheart," he said in a low voice.

  She couldn't stop the rush of desire that cascaded through her. The teenage boy who'd been her best friend, was now pure sex and sin, and there was no way for her not to notice. "I'm celibate," she teased, trying to keep her tone light, but she couldn't quite keep the throatiness out of her voice.

  "I can change that." He frowned suddenly, all amusement gone from his expression. "You're not dating anyone, are you?"

  And just like that, the lightness of the mood morphed into serious, burning heat. She swallowed. "No. You?"

  "Nope." He set the packages on the counter.

  Nope. One casual word, and her nerve endings felt like they were on fire. She couldn't help but glance at the condoms on the counter. God, what was she thinking? Her life was in danger. This was not the time to be thinking of sex—

  She noticed suddenly that the cashier had paused, inspecting the pile of medical supplies with a frown. As the man began to look up at them, Cash grabbed her wrist and hauled her against him. She threw her arms around his neck and melted into him, fire leaping through her as he kissed her.

  This kiss was molten hot, burning through her body. His tongue was demanding and bold, and she met him in kind, kissing him back just as fiercely as he was kissing her. She told herself that it was okay, because it was for show, but the truth was that she wanted to kiss him desperately.

  He groaned low in his chest, and locked his arm behind her back, locking her against him. Her nipples were aching with need, crushed against his chest, and she knew suddenly that the kiss wasn't for show anymore and neither were the condoms. It was a kiss that claimed her, and she realized that Cash was marking her as his, staking his claim in public, so that there could be no mistakes about who she belonged to. She'd always belonged to him, but it had been different before. Before, she'd been his best friend. This kiss staked a different kind of claim.

  Adrenaline reached through her, excitement and fear twisting around each other. There was too much she didn't know about the man who had once been her best friend, too much at stake, for her to surrender to him so completely. "Cash—

  "How would you like to pay for this?" The cashier interrupted, clearing his throat.

  "Cash." He released Bryn, pulled several large bills from his pocket and handed them over, his other arm still around her, holding her against him.

  Her cheeks burning, Bryn stepped away from him, needing space. He received his change, grabbed the bags, and then turned toward her. His eyes were dark and brooding, shifting from the light and playful they'd been only moments before. Now, he was a predator, dark and dangerous, heading for her.

  "Let's go," he said, reaching for her hand.

  She hesitated, suddenly unsure. Cash was her safety net, her protector, but at the same time, he was dangerous, threatening her space and her focus.

  He raised his brows. "We need to go, Bryn."

  She could stay there. Have the cashier call the police. Hope that the cops could manage to keep her alive for another day...and hope that more police officers wouldn't get murdered trying to keep her alive. Or she could trust the man who ran with the wolves who'd tried to kill her, whose pack leader had already murdered a woman. Cash made her want to lose herself in his kiss and forget about everything else in the world. Could she even trust her judgment of him, or was her ability to think obscured by a friendship that had ended years ago?

  The teenagers giggled behind her, and she looked back. The girl was gazing at the boy with such adoration that her heart ached. She'd once looked at Cash that way, until he'd left her. She looked at him. "I thought you were dead," she said softly. "I cried for you."

  Guilt flashed across his face. "I know."

  She frowned. "You know? How do you know?"

  "Because I came back every night for two years to check on you while you slept. I was afraid to come back into your life, afraid of what I was, but I had to know you were okay. So, I came back."

  Afraid of what he was? A wolf? An assassin? A mercenary? Something else? She'd dreamed about him sitting in her window every night, her guardian angel who'd never left. She'd thought it was dreams, but apparently, it had been real. He'd never left her. He'd always been there for her, just like he'd come back now.

  She smiled, then, the last vestiges of her fear vanishing. "Okay," she said, putting her hand in his. "Where are we going?"

  He wrapped his fingers around hers. "My place."

  "Won't they find you?"

  He shook his head as he pushed open the door. "I have a place no one knows about."

  She smiled, then, remembering. "Just like the old cabin when we were kids? The one in the woods that no one knew about?"

  "Same cabin. I own it now." He raised his brows. "One room, Bryn. One bed." He held up the bag. "And pink is my favorite color."

  Chapter Five

  BRYN TUGGED THE pale pink slippers onto her feet as Cash drove them out of the parking lot. The material was soft against her cold skin, and they were the exact right size. "Did you get this size slipper on purpose?"

  He glanced over at her as he pulled out onto the road. "Yeah, size eight, right? I figured the medium would fit. Why? Too small?" He frowned. "I didn't even think that your feet might have grown since then. Shit. Sorry."

  "No, they fit. It's perfect." Her heart tightened. He still remembered her shoe size? It had been thirteen years. What kind of teenage boy remembered the shoe size of a girl so many years later? She sighed, trying to reconcile the man who remembered her shoe size with the lethal predator who assassinated people for a wolf pack and sliced open his arm to save a woman who'd once mattered to him. She leaned back against the seat, suddenly so exhausted, too drained to process anymore. "What's going on, Cash? Why were you there tonight? I mean, I know you were there to save me, but how do you know the pack? How is it that you showed up at my hotel room the night I was supposed to be murdered?"

  Cash swore under his breath. "You don't want to know, Bryn."

  She looked over at him, studying his face as he scanned the road. His long fingers were wrapped tight around the steering wheel, and she noticed scars on his knuckles. His jaw was hard, his face lined with tension. She could easily believe he was a mercenary, but whenever he spoke, she saw only the man she trusted. "I think I do," she said quietly.

  He glanced over at her. "You don't."

  She sighed. "Cash, I was
there the day you put that boy in the hospital after he cornered me behind the school. I saw the cuts on your knuckles after you hit your foster dad when he tried to beat up that other boy in the house. I put salve on the bruises on your back from when he found you the next day. I've seen you cry when you were too scared to go back to whatever hellhole you'd been assigned to. I helped you break into your files to try to find out anything about your past or where you came from. I know that you have a dark past. I know that you're not perfect. I've always known that, but I've always loved you anyway. Why would it be different now? Just tell me. I need to know, because right now, I saw a woman get torn apart by a wolf that you appear to be trying to save. I need to understand more, Cash." She touched his arm, his biceps contracting under her fingers. "It's me, Cash. Talk to me."

  He didn't look at her, but his jaw tightened. "Shit, Bryn." He sighed. "You're a pain in the ass." He sounded both irritated, and affectionate, a tone she was so familiar with from him.

  "I know. That's why you love me."

  "Love? Who says I love you?" He glanced over at her, and for a moment, tension hung in the air between them, a sizzling connection that hadn't been there when they were kids. Suddenly, the word "love" felt different from all the times they'd bandied it around as kids.

  Then he grinned, breaking the tension. "Fine, all right, I love you, babe. You know that. Even when you make me crazy."

  She smiled, settling back against the seat. Maybe love wasn't the wrong word to use for them after all. It could still mean what it had meant so long ago, that they were best friends and accepted each other's eccentricities completely, and that they'd never betray the other. As for the other kind of love, the grown-up, romantic kind...that wasn't the kind of love they shared. Was it?

  He sighed, and she recognized the furrow of Cash's brow, and she knew he'd decided to tell her the truth...and that it was going to be ugly.

  Anticipation laced with fear rippled through her. Did she really want to know what he was doing with a pack of wolf shifters? Did she really want to know what the boy who had once been her best friend had become? He was different now. Darker. Dangerous. Possessive. And yes, sexy beyond comprehension. She'd never responded to a man the way she had when Cash had kissed her. When his kiss had turned carnal and possessive, she knew that she should have been afraid, but she wasn't. His kiss had ignited a fierce need in her, a burning, sensual need that had stripped her of all thoughts, except those of him.